Help - Please Friggin Christ Help

[bear09]

Hi all,

Just tipped $70 worth of wort and a 2L ringwood starter down the drain. At this point I am right on the cusp of giving up brewing all together.

I seriously reckon I have spent about 4k on brewing. That includes gear and ingrediants over a 7 year period. I started off kits and bits, then partial, then all grain. Made some OK beers but they never really hit the mark. NEVER made a crystal clear beer. Not even polyclar helped me - seems ******* nothing can help me.

The AG I just attempted was smurtos landlord. I batch sparge. Half way through the first run the sparge stuck and I mean dead stuck - the pipe ran totally dry with about 10 liters of wort sealed tight above the grain bed. I mashed out - the whole mash was at 78 degrees. I tried to un stick it and in doing so about a kg of grain husks went through to the kettle - fucked the whole batch.

I cant be fucked with it any more and right now Im loosing it. Brewing as an absolute passion of mine. I love it so much and I love a good beer. I have spent so much money and so much time and all I can produce is dam water looking shit beer. Stuck sparges, hazy beers that never hit the mark - I just dont know how the breweries do it. I just dont know how to make good beer.

I have had water analysis done, I make chemical (salts) additions, I have a rubbermaid mash tun with a 12" bottom, I watch my temps very closley, I have read palmer 10 times, Designing great beers 5 times, Yeast twice, New brewing lager beer twice, brewing classic styles about 5 times, I have spent 100's of hours on youtube watching brewing videos, I have been to G&G demo days... I feel as though I have nothing left to give this hobby and its killing me. Right now Im just so shattered I cant believe it.

Anyway this is merely just a rant and Im sorry if you have even bothered to read it. I dont need any advice - Ive already had it all. Ive already read all the posts on every single topic you could imagine.

If you brew great beer at home that is clear and truly delicious, I take my hat off to you big time. I wish I could do it so much but right at this moment I just dont see how I am ever going to.

Good brewing to you all.

 

[VBisGod]

Thanks mate for the good brewing to you all! I think your shot and best go buy a slab of VB!

 

[stux]

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=4221

 

[Silo Ted]

Back to the cans, son :lol:

 

[Blackapple]

Thanks mate for the good brewing to you all! I think your shot and best go buy a slab of VB!

No need to put the boot in

 

[andrewl]

Chin up mate! Theres always tomorrow! And tomorrow you could brew the beer you've been trying to!

 

[DU99]

Join a club they might be able to help you..don't get disgruntled..

 

[ampy]

Keep it up mate, you'll get there!

 

[ampy]

Thanks mate for the good brewing to you all! I think your shot and best go buy a slab of VB!

and you're a tosser

 

[the_new_darren]

As a wise old brewer once told me,

Its the 90/10 rule.....10% of the process causes 90% of the problems. If you can nail that 10%, you are 90% there

Get back to basics dude.

cheers

the_new_darren

 

[Rowy]

Think of it as character building................

 

[manticle]

Hi all,

Just tipped $70 worth of wort and a 2L ringwood starter down the drain. At this point I am right on the cusp of giving up brewing all together.

I seriously reckon I have spent about 4k on brewing. That includes gear and ingrediants over a 7 year period. I started off kits and bits, then partial, then all grain. Made some OK beers but they never really hit the mark. NEVER made a crystal clear beer. Not even polyclar helped me - seems ******* nothing can help me.

The AG I just attempted was smurtos landlord. I batch sparge. Half way through the first run the sparge stuck and I mean dead stuck - the pipe ran totally dry with about 10 liters of wort sealed tight above the grain bed. I mashed out - the whole mash was at 78 degrees. I tried to un stick it and in doing so about a kg of grain husks went through to the kettle - fucked the whole batch.

I cant be fucked with it any more and right now Im loosing it. Brewing as an absolute passion of mine. I love it so much and I love a good beer. I have spent so much money and so much time and all I can produce is dam water looking shit beer. Stuck sparges, hazy beers that never hit the mark - I just dont know how the breweries do it. I just dont know how to make good beer.

I have had water analysis done, I make chemical (salts) additions, I have a rubbermaid mash tun with a 12" bottom, I watch my temps very closley, I have read palmer 10 times, Designing great beers 5 times, Yeast twice, New brewing lager beer twice, brewing classic styles about 5 times, I have spent 100's of hours on youtube watching brewing videos, I have been to G&G demo days... I feel as though I have nothing left to give this hobby and its killing me. Right now Im just so shattered I cant believe it.

Anyway this is merely just a rant and Im sorry if you have even bothered to read it. I dont need any advice - Ive already had it all. Ive already read all the posts on every single topic you could imagine.

If you brew great beer at home that is clear and truly delicious, I take my hat off to you big time. I wish I could do it so much but right at this moment I just dont see how I am ever going to.

Good brewing to you all.

What kinds of beers are you trying to brew? What commercials are you enjoying? What exactly is not right with yours in comparison?

Finally, have you tasted any other brewers' beers that come much closer to the mark than yours?

A brewclub might help if you still have any hope or faith left. I have tasted some damn fine commercially available beers and some damn fine home brewed ones. I've also tasted awful from both camps.

 

[VBisGod]

dont listen to du99, he never shows up, never pays his subs

and AMPY lives in Melton, the new Pines of Melbourne. Whos a tosser? Berwick Beautiful one day, Melton the next!

 

[Blackapple]

So what if your beer is hazy, find a recipe that you have done and liked and make that one over and over and you will make improvements with each attempt.

Maybe your false bottom is the problem, have you tried changing it to a different style, or draining slower, or as earlier posted BIAB? IAEF

Chin up, keep truckin, we all have problems from time to time.

Anyone who says they don't is a wanker or just perfect. :icon_cheers:

 

[Blackapple]

and you're a tosser

Hear Hear

 

[Pennywise]

Maybe a brewer close by could tag along for a brew day, see where/if you're going wrong somewhere. Sometimes I feel like putting all the effort in gets me nowhere, taking note of everything and making sure everything is perfect, so I just wing it for a bit and all of a sudden I'm making great beer again. I'm slowly getting there though, till' the next time I try to make that perfect beer

 

[raven19]

See if you can get some other local brewers to drop in and watch your process when you brew.

It could be cold side of things giving you the issues though - yeast health, sanitation, etc.

Hate to see someone leave the game with frustrations such as yours. Please keep at it, you shall solve it I am sure.

(even a lower quality home brew is often better than a commercial beer!)

 

[Nibbo]

Mate...i'm a stone throw away from begining my AG experience. After reading that i'm hoping I have a better outcome over time...i'm sure you have a good brew or two ready to be smashed out...just keep ya head up buddie...

 

[PhantomEasey]

Haven't even gotten into AG yet, but, from my experiences with problem solving, it's usually a set of new eyes that sees the obvious deficiencies that you may have overlooked through hours of trying to work out the problem yourself.

I reckon most of the above posters are right - having someone watch your processes, and ask (seemingly obvious) questions, should lead to the discovery of some of the problems generating your frustrations.

Chin up mate, and best of luck

 

[Brad Churchill]

If you are passionate about it definitely don't give up.
There is obviously something or somethings wrong.
Try to hook up with a club or do a side by side brew with someone else who is making good beer.
Do everything at this person's house including fermentation and bottling.
Then have this person come over and do the same thing at your place.
I would think if you did this it may help you and reveal where the problem lies.

Hope you sort it out one way or another. Just don't give up until you try some of the suggestions you get in this thread.
Because you can make fricken awesome beer at home. You just need to hook up with some one else who is doing it I think and go from there.

Cheers
Brad